Many textile treatment compositions are known in the prior art, involving the use of polymeric materials for treatment of fibres, yarns, fabrics, textiles or finished garments during the manufacturing process. Such treatments may be used in the fabric or garment supply chain to modify the “finish” of fabrics, garments or textile components. The polymeric materials may be substantively bound to the textile or textile components to confer specific characteristics to the resulting fabric or garment which persist through multiple laundering cycles in use, such as easy-iron, soft handle, permanent crease, soil release, antimicrobial activity and the like.
Throughout the specification, the term “textile” is used to include textile components, textiles and fabrics or garments prepared from a textile, so for instance the term “textile” as used herein encompasses fibres, yarns, fabrics, textiles or finished garments or upholstered articles. Textiles may be prepared by knitting, weaving or the like, or may be non-woven textiles such as textiles prepared by fibre-entanglement methods such as are well-known in the prior art.
Cationic polymers are of particular use in textile treatment compositions as cationic functional groups in the polymers may cross-link or react with textile substrates through the cationic functional groups and chemical bonds may be formed between the cationic polymers and the textile fibres or between the cationic molecules themselves or with other molecules co-deposited with the cationic polymers. Such polymers may be useful both in laundering compositions and in industrial textile treatment processes. When used in laundry compositions, the polymer substantivity may be poorer than when used in industrial treatment processes, which may typically involve post-application heat treatment (such as curing at temperatures up to 150° C. or more). However, such cationic polymers are also of use in laundry applications which do not involve post-application heat treatment; for instance on fabric conditioner compositions used for post-laundering treatment of textile articles.
Detergent compositions containing polyamide-polyamine fabric treatment agents for laundry use are described in the international patent application publications WO 98/29530 and WO 97/42287.
A process for treating fibres is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,014. This describes the use of a polyamine/epichlorohydrin resin as a binder, together with an amphoteric high molecular weight compound having at least two cationic groups and at least two anionic groups per molecule.
Compositions containing an amino functional polymer to impart shrink resistance to wool are known. See, for instance, EP-A-0 414 377. WO 92/07132 discloses softening treatments for textiles which involve the deposition of cationic polymers formed from quaternisation of polyetheramines and the like.
International application WO 03/059967 discloses an azetidinium functionalised polymer containing primary or secondary amine groups for use in textile treatment compositions, where the polymer containing primary or secondary amine groups is epihalohydrin-modified to form azetidinium groups.